On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 104
by Little PandaEnd of Main Story
It Actually Snowed in Yuncheng
Yu Yan had added friends from a pet charity and regularly donated to support their work. A while back, they had rescued a litter of stray cats—orange tabby mixes. Hearing that Yu Yan wanted to adopt, they saved the cutest little female just for her.
Round face, round eyes, looking adorably blank—she was the only longhair in the litter.
Yu Yan took one look and fell for her. She showed the photos to Fu Yunqing, who also liked her. The kitten was already weaned and had her vaccinations; together they took her for a health check, and once everything came back clear, they brought her home right then and there.
Before that, Yu Yan had already let Honey see her on video many times.
Honey was a cat full of contradictions—brave yet skittish. Brave with people, skittish with cats. Once, when Yu Yan took her downstairs for a walk and they ran into another cat on the grass, Honey had buried herself in Yu Yan’s arms, terrified out of her wits.
But when she heard the kitten’s meows from the video, Honey actually crept over curiously. Yu Yan held her in her arms and let her watch the kitten on the phone. She watched with the utmost seriousness—she seemed to really like her.
If she liked her this much, that meant she approved.
Wonderful. All three family votes, unanimous approval.
If it was a kitten, Yu Yan figured, Honey would surely overflow with maternal love.
And that was exactly what happened. When the two of them carried the carrier through the door, Honey caught the scent and her eyes went wide. She crouched beside the carrier, sniffing endlessly, watching as the adults took the kitten out and fed her a cat treat. She didn’t squirm or try to grab—just kept sniffing, endlessly curious.
When Yu Yan tried putting them together, the kitten wasn’t afraid of her. Honey sniffed and sniffed, then gave her a lick. The kitten started purring. Just like that, they became best friends. After mulling it over, Yu Yan decided to name this little orange cat “Darling.”
Honey, Darling. They couldn’t be more perfect together—it sounded like happiness itself.
Maybe they’d fall for each other over time and become a couple? Cats raised by lesbians were bound to turn into lesbian cats, right? The difference was that they could only have a pure romance—their jiejie and mommy, on the other hand, were like dry wood meeting a blazing fire, tangled up in each other day in and day out.
Poor kittens—they’d never get to experience this kind of happiness.
This year’s New Year’s Eve was probably the coldest Yuncheng had ever been.
Yu Yan had gone back to Grandmother’s home early with Fu Yunqing, bringing the kitten along for the family reunion.
It had been a while since she’d seen Grandmother. She still looked as elegant and hale as ever, but when she saw Yu Yan, her eyes crinkled shut with a smile. The laugh lines on her face seemed deeper than before—a quiet testament to her aging. Yu Yan noticed, and a sour ache welled up in her chest.
Seeing her Maternal Aunt was the same. She could no longer feel the rejection and distance she had once imagined from the Fu family—there was only the care and longing of elders for their younger generation. Her Maternal Aunt and Grandmother even felt guilty, believing that when the two of them had divorced, it was partly because her Maternal Aunt hadn’t been able to look after her feelings during the crisis, which had led her to overthink.
How could they have attended to her feelings? They had already been so overwhelmed. At the end of the day, it was still Yu Yan’s own problem—not being strong enough, not being resolute enough, too stubbornly single-minded to see her way through.
The Fu family wasn’t large. Counting the two cats crouching nearby eating from cans, the New Year’s Eve dinner table had seven in all, but the atmosphere was wonderful.
Her Maternal Aunt said, “Of course the atmosphere is good with Yanyan here. You’re the life of our family. Your two jiejie both have more reserved personalities—you’re the one who’s best at making everyone happy. Our family only gets lively because of you. Last year when you weren’t here, New Year’s barely felt like New Year’s—cold and dreary, no fun at all. Now that you’re back, everyone’s at ease, and New Year’s feels like New Year’s again.”
One of the two jiejie smiled without speaking. The other raised an eyebrow. “Mom, Yunqing is reserved, sure—but me, reserved? Seriously?”
Her Maternal Aunt shot Mingya a glance. “You’re not reserved—you’re just sharp-tongued. Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth. I don’t want to hear it.”
Mingya: “Fine, fine, fine. You don’t want to hear it, I won’t say it. Let Yanyan talk more—my jie likes listening to her too.”
Yu Yan laughed out loud. Her Maternal Aunt patted her shoulder. “All right, all right, let’s eat first and talk later.”
After dinner, they sat together and chatted for a while. Her Maternal Aunt and Grandmother were getting on in years and needed to turn in early, but they had prepared fireworks for the younger ones to set off and celebrate the New Year.
Fireworks were already bursting in the sky all around. The smell of gunpowder in the air—that was when the New Year atmosphere was thickest. Fu Yunqing played with Yu Yan in the courtyard while Fu Mingya sat on the stone table in the gazebo, waiting for a message from someone, looking a little forlorn. The joys and sorrows of one person never truly reach another—though she was soon called over to help take photos.
At midnight, brilliant fireworks bloomed across the sky all at once. Yu Yan and Fu Yunqing stood together, fingers interlaced. Yu Yan leaned against her shoulder, flashing a peace sign, her smiling eyes outshining the fireworks. She looked at the camera; Fu Yunqing looked at her, gaze soft and tender, brimming with affection, cherishing every moment.
Later, tired from playing, they returned to their room to rest. Yu Yan received a call from Yu Lan.
The time there was behind Hua Country’s—it was still daytime. Yu Lan called to ask how she was doing.
When she’d lost her memory, Yu Yan couldn’t reach her no matter what, and thought she had been completely abandoned. In truth, it wasn’t that—she simply hadn’t known that Yu Lan had changed her number. The string of digits Yu Yan had known by heart since she was a child was one Yu Lan no longer used. How could she have gotten through?
Yu Lan was emotionally detached, a committed lifelong singleton. She had planned out her life early on—no intention of starting a family, let alone having children. She was even quite averse to the idea. Over ten years ago, when Grandmother had entrusted Yu Yan to her, one could only imagine how resistant she must have been.
She had never decided to be a mother, much less known how to be one. She treated Yu Yan like a half-familiar child. She could only hold her to the standards she believed in, pushing her academically. When it came to Yu Yan’s warmth and her craving for maternal love, Yu Lan was at a total loss—she didn’t know how to accept it, didn’t know how to respond, perhaps didn’t even like it. And so her attitude always came across as cold and hard.
Yu Yan had disrupted her life, been a burden to her. All these years, Yu Yan knew—she had already been good enough to her.
Even though Yu Yan hadn’t grown up the way she’d imagined, hadn’t met her expectations; even though Yu Yan had caused her no shortage of trouble; even though Yu Yan was so mischievous, and after her teenage rebellion had given her nothing but attitude—she had never once shortchanged her materially. She had given her the full confidence that came with being a young lady of privilege.
She still remembered. Back in school, Yu Yan had slapped a scummy guy because he’d bullied her friend. Yu Lan was called to the homeroom teacher’s office. She was very busy and didn’t even listen to the full story. She just said dismissively, “He knows perfectly well why he got slapped, doesn’t he?” and yanked Yu Yan out of there right then and there.
Then she transferred Yu Yan to a girls’ school—along with that friend.
Not because she’d been scared into leaving, but because she found the school’s environment beneath her.
Yu Yan remembered this with special clarity. At the time, she was both moved and proud. She walked out of that office with her back ramrod straight. After that, she faced everything with an extra measure of confidence, thinking to herself: she had Yu Lan—that fierce, sharp-tongued woman—backing her up.
In all those arguments that came later, no matter how many times Yu Yan pushed her to the verge of exploding, she never once threw her origins in her face to shut her up.
She knew perfectly well. Yu Yan only dared to be so insolent because she believed she was her biological daughter.
She only needed to tell her the truth—that she was adopted—and Yu Yan would surely have become obedient out of fear of losing her, saving her no end of trouble.
That later slip of the tongue was perhaps because she knew she had truly been wrong. Under Yu Yan’s furious questioning, she couldn’t bring herself to lower her head, and her shame turned to anger.
She might have known that Yu Yan had secretly gotten a DNA test. She pretended nothing had happened. After Yu Yan divorced Fu Yunqing, she wanted to take Yu Yan abroad with her—but Yu Yan didn’t go.
Yu Lan asked her over the phone, “Is someone with you?”
“Mm.”
“Did you have New Year’s Eve dinner?”
“Mm.”
“Do you have enough money?”
“I have enough.”
“Are you happy?”
“Mm.”
“That’s good.”
“Happy New Year. Eat well.” Yu Lan asking whether she was happy, wishing her a happy holiday—in Yu Yan’s memory, this had almost never happened.
Yu Yan felt a jumble of emotions.
Yu Lan had already paid the price for what she had done. She had endured an enormous loss. Perhaps she was busy plotting a comeback; perhaps she had already decided to just stop and rest. She still remembered Hua Country’s New Year, knew it was a day for family reunions. She knew Yu Yan’s fragility—she would worry whether Yu Yan was all alone in the country. Or did she still think of her, just a little?
Yu Yan replied lightly, “You too. Happy New Year. Eat well, take care of yourself.”
There was a long silence on the other end.
She said, “If you’re not doing well, tell me. If you don’t have enough money, ask me for it like you used to. I can’t give you as much anymore…” She paused. “If you want to, come find me. I…”
Yu Yan pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Yu Lan hesitated. “I know. All these years, I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as a mother. What I did was wrong.”
“…”
“When I took you from the old lady’s hands and you came into my life, it wasn’t as bad as I’d first thought. Actually, these past years I’ve been quite happy. Having you with me, seeing you when I come home, exchanging a word or two with you—I was never quite so lonely.”
“I thought I didn’t have much feeling for you. But when I destroyed your happiness and saw how heartbroken you were, my heart actually ached too.”
“No matter what, you’re the child I raised. In my heart, you are my daughter.”
Yu Yan’s nose prickled.
Yu Lan took a breath and said, “You should get some rest.”
“…”
Yu Yan put away her phone and turned around. Fu Yunqing was standing behind her. Yu Yan looked at her, eyes glistening. After a moment, Fu Yunqing held her, comforting her.
Fu Yunqing always seemed so gentle and strong. Yu Yan knew she must have her own moments of vulnerability. She must miss her own mother too, right?
Her mother had passed away from cancer not long after she came of age. Grandmother said that ever since then, Yunqing had become much more reserved. All these years, she had walked through so much loneliness on her own.
Yu Yan wanted to stop her tears, wanted to be a little stronger, a little more reliable—so that Fu Yunqing could lean on her completely, with full peace of mind.
Fu Yunqing said, “I do lean on you. Having you by my side is leaning on you. I’m so glad I have my own little family. Thank you for filling my loneliness, thank you for coming back to me, thank you for staying with me.”
“You don’t have to be strong in front of me—and it’s the same for me with you. All right?”
“We are each other’s support. We are each other’s closest family in this world.”
Yu Yan said, “I love you.”
Fu Yunqing said, “I love you too.”
Their embrace was two souls keeping each other warm. The love between them grew hot to the touch. That night was a beautiful dream.
The next day, Yu Yan woke up before Fu Yunqing.
She was amazed to find a blanket of white outside the window.
Fu Yunqing woke up and found Yu Yan wasn’t in the room. She went to the window and saw her crouching in the courtyard in a thrown-on jacket, playing with the snow.
It actually snowed in Yuncheng, she thought with equal amazement.
“Yanyan.” Fu Yunqing opened the window and called to her. She didn’t answer. Fu Yunqing went downstairs to find her. “Yanyan?”
She called out to the figure crouched in the snow. Yu Yan still didn’t move, until Fu Yunqing walked up behind her. Then Yu Yan suddenly stood up, holding a rose whose petals had been shaped from snow, and held it out to her.
“Wife~ this is for you.” She beamed, eyes crinkling with laughter.
Fu Yunqing was stunned.
She laughed softly.
She was still the same as always—always bringing little romantic surprises to their time together.
“Why aren’t you wearing gloves?” She carefully took the rose, then immediately held her red, frozen hands. “They’re all red from the cold. Aren’t you freezing?”
“I can’t shape it properly with gloves on.”
“Go back and put on more clothes before you come out to play.”
“Wait.” Yu Yan pulled out her phone and took a photo of Fu Yunqing’s hand holding the rose. “Recording the happiness.”
She’d always wanted to travel somewhere else to see snow, never imagining it could fall in their own city.
What a surprise it was—just like the happiness that kept flowing toward her, endless and unremitting.
Yu Yan hadn’t updated her WeChat Moments in a long time.
Everyone’s Moments were bustling with New Year’s posts—of course she had to share her happiness too.
A snowy seaside, a hand wearing a ring, their marriage certificate, group photos with friends at a birthday gathering, a candid shot of her lying on her lap shyly covering her face, the day they brought the new kitten home, the two kittens curled up asleep together, a photo of them setting off fireworks side by side, and the latest—Fu Yunqing holding her snow rose in one hand, covering her red, frozen hand with the other. That made exactly nine photos for the grid.
She also logged into that Weibo account she hadn’t touched in ages. After more than a year, she finally posted again, same flavor as always: 【fyq has always been waiting for me, and I’ve always been thinking of her. I swear to the Grandmother of Heaven1, I will never leave her again.】
While she was at it, she changed her Weibo bio to: 【I have two kittens, she has two kittens and a puppy; we are each other’s support, each other’s closest family.】
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